It’s been a crazy week, and a major downer day on Wall Street. At the risk of sounding trite, this might be the perfect time for a little hearty warmth offered up by this amazing soup. Except for the chopping, which can be done ahead of time, this soup does not take long to prepare.

Mediterranean Lentil Soup

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 medium carrots, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1 lg. red onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons Italian seasoning (see below)

2 cups lentils, washed

11 cups water

1/2 cup tamari

2 cups tomato sauce

pepper to taste

1. In 6-quart stockpot, saute the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and seasoning in the oil over medium heat for 5 minutes.

2. Add rinsed lentils and 8 cups of the water and cook until lentils soften, approximately 20 minutes. Add the remaining 3 cups of water and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

3. Add tamari and tomato sauce and cook for 10 minutes more. Season with pepper.

Italian Seasoning

2 teaspoons each of dried basil, dried marjoram, and dried oregano, plus 1 teaspoon of dried sage.

This recipe is a variation of the soup found in You Won’t Believe It’s Vegan!, by Lacey Sher and Gail Doherty.

My son is taking swim lessons with a fantastic teacher. She plays games in the pool and today it was a grocery day. The swimmers reached up to get their products from the top shelves and then put them down in their carts (below the water).

I could see where this was headed. “And what about protein? Where do we get our protein?” asked Ms. C. “Do you like chicken nuggets…fish…or hamburgers?”

Of course, my son answered “chicken nuggets”. I imagine the name was pretty funny to him. Are these some kind of strange rocks the chickens toss around in the yard?

So I decided it was time for a little nutrition lesson. On the way home, I offered the preschooler version of what protein was and how we get it from just about everything we eat, but that beans, tofu, and grains were our primary sources. I told him it was okay to tell the teacher that he didn’t eat meat.

Then I remembered hemp, a super-rich nutrition powerhouse that is underrepresented in most vegetarian meals. I found this fantastic recipe in Vive le Vegan! that not only provides nutrients in the dried fruit, nuts, and nut butter, but uses almost a cup of hemp seeds, which are loaded with protein, iron, omegas, and a slew of other nutrients. (If avoiding nuts, try soy nut butter and leave out almonds.)

And they taste GREAT!

My husband wanted me to call these “Dream Krispie Delights”, but I’ll stick with “Crispi Squares”, because that’s what cookbook author Dreena Burton calls them. Enjoy!

Crispi Squares

1/2 c. peanut or other nut butter

1/2 c. maple syrup

1-1 1/2 tsp. sea salt

3 c. rice crisp cereal

3/4 c. hemp seed nuts

1/4 c. dried cranberries

1/4 c. toasted almonds

1/2 cup non-dairy chocolate (or carob) chips

In large pot over medium-low heat, combine the peanut butter, syrup, and salt. Stir through until warm and melted together (don’t let boil). Stir in the extract, then stir in the remaining ingredients except chocolate chips. Once these ingredients are well incorporated, add the chips and stir through quickly (so they don’t melt too much). Quickly transfer to an 8×8 cake pan and press in evenly. Refrigerate until completely cool, then cut into squares.